U.S. patent number 7,164,961 [Application Number 10/064,156] was granted by the patent office on 2007-01-16 for modified photolithography movement system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Disco Corporation. Invention is credited to Akira Ishikawa, Wenhui Mei.
United States Patent |
7,164,961 |
Mei , et al. |
January 16, 2007 |
Modified photolithography movement system
Abstract
A method and system is provided for moving a substrate relative
to a pixel panel in a digital photolithography system. The method
can be used for performing photolithography on a substrate, the
substrate having a first portion with a first design resolution and
a second portion with a second design resolution. The method
includes scanning the first portion of the substrate, having the
first design resolution, at a first speed and scanning the second
portion of the substrate, having the second design resolution, at a
second speed, different from the first.
Inventors: |
Mei; Wenhui (Plano, TX),
Ishikawa; Akira (Royse Ctiy, TX) |
Assignee: |
Disco Corporation (Tokyo,
JP)
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Family
ID: |
29731583 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/064,156 |
Filed: |
June 14, 2002 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20030233528 A1 |
Dec 18, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
700/121;
359/223.1; 700/117 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03F
7/70291 (20130101); G03F 7/70358 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
19/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;700/120-121,117,95
;359/212,223,226 ;348/743,771 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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0552953 |
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Jul 1993 |
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EP |
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WO 9110170 |
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Jul 1991 |
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WO |
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Other References
"New Multi-EB Direct Write Concept for Maskless High Throughput",
Canon SubMicron Focus, vol. 5, Summer 2000. cited by other .
Sandstrom and Odselius, "Large-Area High Quality Photomasks",
Micronic Laser Systems, published by SPIE, vol. 2621, 1985, pp.
312-318. cited by other .
Singh-Gasson, Sangeet et al., Maskless Fabrication of
Light-Directed Oligonucleotide Microarrays Using a Digital
Micromirror Array, vol. 17, No. 10, Oct. 1999, pp. 974-978. cited
by other .
Devitt, Terry, "Advanced May Put Gene Chip Tecnology on Scientists
Desktops",
http://www.biotech.wise.edu/Education/biotechnews/GeneChip.html,
Oct. 7, 1999. cited by other.
|
Primary Examiner: Cabrera; Zoila
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Smith, Gambrell & Russell,
LLP
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A method for performing digital photolithography on a substrate,
the substrate having a first portion with a first design resolution
and a second portion with a second design resolution, the method
comprising: scanning the first portion of the substrate at a first
speed, comprising moving the substrate relative to the head at a
third speed in a first direction; and moving the head relative to
the substrate at a fourth speed in the first direction while
scanning the first portion of the substrate, wherein the first
speed equals the sum of the third and fourth speeds; and scanning
the second portion of the substrate at a second speed different
from the first speed, comprising moving the head relative to the
substrate at a fifth speed in a second direction opposite to the
first direction while scanning the second portion of the substrate,
wherein the second speed equals the difference of the third and
fifth speeds; wherein both the first and second portions are
scanned on a single pass.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the fourth and fifth speeds are
the same.
3. Software for controlling the movement of a first motor for
moving an image producing device during exposure of a substrate,
wherein the substrate includes a plurality of circuit components
arranged in rows and at least one horizontal component between
consecutive rows of the circuit components, the software comprising
instructions for: moving the image producing device at a first
speed and in a first direction while exposing the at least one
horizontal component; and moving the image producing device at a
second speed and in a second direction opposite from the first
direction while exposing the plurality of circuit components;
wherein the substrate constantly moves at a third speed in the
first direction during the exposing, and the third speed is greater
than the second speed.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first speed equals the second
speed and the first direction is perpendicular to the rows.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the first speed equals zero.
6. The method of claim 3 further comprising: providing digital data
to the image producing device corresponding to the movement of the
image producing device at the first and second speeds.
7. The method of claim 3 wherein the image producing device is a
deformable mirror device (DMD).
Description
BACKGROUND
The present disclosure relates generally to imaging systems, and
more particularly, to a system and method for moving a system
relative to a substrate during exposure.
Imaging systems frequently utilize one or more light sources during
scanning processes. For example, a photolithography system may use
a light source such as a mercury lamp to project an image onto a
substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a printed circuit board.
Within the photolithography system, light projected by the light
source may be directed by a pixel panel or other image-creating
device to control the path of the light.
Limitations in an imaging system may be introduced by the
components which form the imaging system, such as the pixel panel
described above. The pixel panel should be able to properly
redirect the light projected by the light source towards a
substrate, but may be limited by such factors as the amount of
resolution required and/or the rate at which the pixel panel can
change states. The rate at which the pixel panel can change states
is often determined by the rate at which data can be supplied to
the pixel panel.
One solution is to move the pixel panel very slow, relative to the
substrate on which the exposure process is being performed. By
having such slow movement, a very high resolution image can be
obtained and/or a complex pattern can be provided to the pixel
panel. However, this slow movement is often undesirable in a
manufacturing process because overall through put of substrates is
substantially hindered.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
A technical advance is provided by a novel system and method for
projecting light onto a substrate. In one embodiment, the method
can be used for exposing a substrate, the substrate having a first
portion with a first design resolution and a second portion with a
second design resolution. The method includes scanning the first
portion of the substrate at a first speed and scanning the second
portion of the substrate at a second speed, different from the
first. Both the first and second portions are scanned on a single
pass.
In one embodiment, the system is a digital photolithography system
including a pixel panel and a stage for holding the substrate. The
system includes means for exposing the substrate by scanning the
substrate in a single pass and a pair of movement means. The first
movement means is for moving the pixel panel relative to the
substrate at a relatively fast speed while exposing a first portion
of the substrate. The second movement means is for moving the pixel
panel relative to the substrate at a relatively slow speed while
exposing a second portion of the substrate in the single pass.
An advantage provided by the present invention is that the speed at
which the exposure is performed on the substrate is increased for
portions of the substrate that are not complex and/or do not
require a very high image resolution.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of one example of a digital
photolithography system that can benefit from various embodiments
of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary point array aligned with a
substrate.
FIG. 3 illustrates the point array of FIG. 2 after being rotated
relative to the substrate.
FIG. 4 illustrates a laser diode array that may be used in the
system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of another example of a digital
photolithography system that can benefit from various embodiments
of the present invention.
FIG. 6 illustrates one example of a substrate with a circuit
pattern that is to be exposed by the photolithography systems of
either FIG. 1 or 5.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a photolithography system implementing
features of one embodiment of the present invention upon the
substrate of FIG. 6.
FIGS. 8a and 8b are operational views of the photolithography
system of FIG. 7 implementing one embodiment of a method according
to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present disclosure relates to imaging systems, and more
particularly, to a system and method for controlling the relative
movement between the imaging system and a substrate to maximize
factors such as design resolution and exposure speed. It is
understood, however, that the following disclosure provides many
different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different
features of the invention. Specific examples of components and
arrangements are described below to simplify the present
disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not
intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure may
repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples.
This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and
does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various
embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a maskless photolithography system 100 is
one example of a system that can benefit from the present
invention. In the present example, the maskless photolithography
system 100 includes a light source 102, a first lens system 104, a
computer aided pattern design system 106, a pixel panel 108, a
panel alignment stage 110, a second lens system 112, a substrate
114, and a substrate stage 116. A resist layer or coating 118 may
be disposed on the substrate 114. The light source 102 may be an
incoherent light source (e.g., a Mercury lamp) that provides a
collimated beam of light 120 which is projected through the first
lens system 104 and onto the pixel panel 108. Alternatively, the
light source 102 may be an array comprising, for example, laser
diodes or light emitting diodes (LEDs) that are individually
controllable to project light.
The lens system 112 may incorporate many different lenses, and/or
many different types of lenses. For example, a micro-lens array can
be used, as well as a Fresnel lens. In addition, one or more shadow
masks and/or filters can be used as required. It is understood that
the use of various lenses and filters is well known in the art, and
often depends upon a particular set of requirements or a particular
application.
The pixel panel 108, which may be a LED, a deformable (or digital)
mirror device (DMD), a fiber array, or a diode array, is provided
with digital data via suitable signal line(s) 128 from the computer
aided pattern design system 106 to create a desired pixel pattern
(the pixel-mask pattern). The pixel-mask pattern may be available
and resident at the pixel panel 108 for a desired, specific
duration. Light emanating from (or through) the pixel-mask pattern
of the pixel panel 108 then passes through the second lens system
112 and onto the substrate 114. In this manner, the pixel-mask
pattern is projected onto the resist coating 118 of the substrate
114.
The computer aided mask design system 106 can be used for the
creation of the digital data for the pixel-mask pattern. The
computer aided pattern design system 106 may include computer aided
design (CAD) software similar to that which is currently used for
the creation of mask data for use in the manufacture of a
conventional printed mask. Any modifications and/or changes
required in the pixel-mask pattern can be made using the computer
aided pattern design system 106. Therefore, any given pixel-mask
pattern can be changed, as needed, almost instantly with the use of
an appropriate instruction from the computer aided pattern design
system 106. The computer aided mask design system 106 can also be
used for adjusting a scale of the image or for correcting image
distortion.
In some embodiments, the computer aided mask design system 106 is
connected to a first motor 122 for moving the stage 116, and a
driver 124 for providing digital data to the pixel panel 108. In
some embodiments, an additional motor 126 may be included for
moving the pixel panel. The system 106 can thereby control the data
provided to the pixel panel 108 in conjunction with the relative
movement between the pixel panel 108 and the substrate 114.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the pixel panel 108 (comprising a DMD) of
FIG. 1 is illustrated. The pixel panel 108 described in relation to
FIG. 1 has a limited resolution which depends on such factors as
the distance between pixels, the size of the pixels, and so on.
However, higher resolution may be desired and may be achieved as
described below. The pixel panel 108, which is shown as a point
array for purposes of clarification, projects an image (not shown)
upon the substrate 114, which may be a substrate. The substrate 114
is moving in a direction indicated by an arrow 214. Alternatively,
the point array 108 could be in motion while the substrate 114 is
stationary, or both the substrate 114 and the point array 108 could
be moving simultaneously. The point array 108 is aligned with both
the substrate 114 and the direction of movement 214 as shown. A
distance, denoted for purposes of illustration as "D", separates
individual points 216 of the point array 108. In the present
illustration, the point distribution that is projected onto the
substrate 114 is uniform, which means that each point 216 is
separated from each adjacent point 216 both vertically and
horizontally by the distance D.
As the substrate 114 moves in the direction 214, a series of scan
lines 218 indicate where the points 216 may be projected onto the
substrate 114. The scan lines are separated by a distance "S".
Because of the alignment of the point array 108 with the substrate
114 and the scanning direction 214, the distance S between the scan
lines 218 equals the distance D between the points 216. In
addition, both S and D remain relatively constant during the
scanning process. Achieving a higher resolution using this
alignment typically requires that the point array 108 embodying the
DMD be constructed so that the points 216 are closer together.
Therefore, the construction of the point array 108 and its
alignment in relation to the substrate 114 limits the resolution
which may be achieved.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a higher resolution may be achieved with
the point array 108 of FIG. 2 by rotating the DMD embodying the
point array 108 in relation to the substrate 114. The rotation is
identified by an angle between an axis 310 of the rotated point
array 108 and a corresponding axis 312 of the substrate. As
illustrated in FIG. 3, although the distance D between the points
216 remains constant, such a rotation may reduce the distance S
between the scan lines 218, which effectively increases the
resolution of the point array 108. The image data that is to be
projected by the point array 108 must be manipulated so as to
account for the rotation of the point array 108.
The magnitude of the angle may be altered to vary the distance S
between the scan lines 218. If the angle is relatively small, the
resolution increase may be minimal as the points 216 will remain in
an alignment approximately equal to the alignment illustrated in
FIG. 2. As the angle increases, the alignment of the points 216
relative to the substrate 114 will increasingly resemble that
illustrated in FIG. 3. If the angle is increased to certain
magnitudes, various points 216 will be aligned in a redundant
manner and so fall onto the same scan line 218. Therefore,
manipulation of the angle permits manipulation of the distance S
between the scan lines 218, which affects the resolution of the
point array 108. It is noted that the distance S may not be the
same between different pairs of scan lines as the angle is
altered.
Referring now to FIG. 4, in another embodiment, the conventional
light source 102 of FIG. 1 may be replaced by a diode array 410,
which may be an array of LEDs or laser diodes (both of which are
hereinafter referred to as a laser diode array for purposes of
clarity). The laser diode array 410 may comprise a plurality of
laser diodes 412 embedded within or connectable to a substrate 414.
The substrate 414 may be relatively translucent and so may enable
light to pass through the substrate 414. The translucency may
depend on the thinness of the substrate and/or the material of
which it is made. For example, the substrate 414 may be made of a
material such as sapphire to enhance the translucency of the
substrate 414. In the present example, each laser diode 412 may be
positioned relative to the substrate 414 so that light projected by
the laser diodes 412 passes through, rather than away from, the
substrate 414.
In operation, each laser diode 412 may be turned on and off by
controlling the power supplied to each laser diode 412. The
individual laser diodes 412 may be controlled by signal and/or
power lines to either project light or not project light (e.g., be
"on" or "off") onto the pixel panel 108. Alternatively, the laser
diode array 410 may project light directly onto the substrate 114
of FIG. 1, replacing the pixel panel 108. A variety of arrangements
of the laser diode array 410 in the system 100 of FIG. 1 are
illustrated in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
09/820,030, filed on Mar. 28, 2001, and also assigned to Ball
Semiconductor, Inc., entitled "INTEGRATED LASER DIODE ARRAY AND
APPLICATIONS" and hereby incorporated by reference as if reproduced
in its entirety.
Referring now to FIG. 5, in another embodiment, an imaging system
500 may replace some or all of the components of the
photolithography system 100 of FIG. 1. The system 500 is operable
to project an image produced by a light source 502 onto the
substrate 114 with sufficient intensity for photolithography using
the diode array 410 of FIG. 4. In the present example, the imaging
system 500 includes the light source 502, which may be a cathode
ray tube (CRT), a first lens 504, a mirror 506, a second lens 508,
a third lens 509, the diode array 410, an integrated circuit (IC)
510, which may be a power IC capable of amplifying a signal, a
cooling device 512, and a power supply 514. The computer 106 may
control the CRT 502 using a driver 516. Data for the system 500 may
be obtained from a database 518 that is accessible to the computer
106, and may follow a path indicated by arrows 519.
In operation, the computer 106 sends data via the path 519 to the
CRT 502, which may be capable of projecting a relatively large
amount of image data. The image (represented by the light beams
520) projected by the CRT 502 passes through the lens 504, which
may be single lens or a lens system comprising a variety of optical
components. For example, the lens 504 may comprise one or more
lenses, optical gratings, microlens arrays, and/or other optical
devices to aid in passing the image projected by the CRT 502 to the
mirror 506. In the present example, the lens 504 is
mono-directional and directs the light 520 projected by the CRT 502
onto the mirror 506. The mirror 506 may be an ultraviolet (UV)
light mirror designed to allow the light 520 to pass from the lens
504 through to the lens 508, but not allow the light 522 to pass
from the lens 508 to the lens 504. Rather, the light 522 may be
reflected by the mirror 506 towards the substrate 114.
The lens 508, which may be a bi-directional lens system, directs
the image onto the diode array 410. The structure and operation of
the diode array 410 and the IC 510 will be discussed later in
greater detail, and so will be summarized while describing the
operation of the system 500. The IC 510, in response to the
projection of the light 520 through the diode array 410 and onto
the IC 510, may provide power to various diodes 412 of the diode
array 410 corresponding to locations on the IC 510 that receive the
light 520. The IC 510 may also provide amplification, so that, for
example, the received light 520 is intensified.
The diode array 410, in response to the projection of the image
onto the diode array 410 and the IC 510 by the lens 508, may
project a plurality of laser beams 522 representing the image onto
the lens 508. The laser beams 522 may be of a different wavelength
than the light 520. The length of time during which the laser beams
522 are projected by the laser diode array 410 may be controlled.
For example, a duration setting may be used to define a length of
time that the laser beams 522 are to be projected. Accordingly, the
length of time that the image is projected by the CRT 502 may
differ from the length of time that the laser diode array 410
projects the laser beams 522. The laser beams 522 pass through the
lens 508 and are directed by the mirror 506 onto the lens 509,
which in turn projects the beams 522 onto the substrate 114. The
operation of the system 500 may also include data sent from the
stage 116 to the computer 106, as indicated by an arrow 524. The
data may, for example, aid in synchronizing the motion of the
substrate 114 with the projection of the laser beams 522 (e.g., the
duration of the laser beams 522, etc.)Referring now to FIG. 6, for
the sake of example, the substrate 114 will be used for a liquid
crystal display (LCD). The image of FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified
view of the substrate 114 as it will be upon completion of a
photolithography operation according to one embodiment of the
present invention. The following disclosure provides examples of
sizes and resolution requirements for various circuits in the
substrate 114 to illustrate the benefits of the present invention.
It is understood, however, that these examples are merely for the
sake of providing a simplified application that would benefit from
the present invention, and in no way are intended to limit the
present invention to LCDs or to any particular circuits, sizes, or
resolutions.
The LCD substrate 114 includes a plurality of pixel sections 610
that are relatively large. For the sake of further example, each
pixel section 610 has a vertical "height" (as shown in the Figure)
of 200 microns and a horizontal "width" of 100 microns. Although
only a few pixel sections 610 are illustrated, it is anticipated
that some substrates 114 may have an array of 600.times.800 pixel
sections or more. The design requirement for the pixel sections 610
is a 10 micron resolution. The design requirement is a term that
represents a general resolution for the circuit elements, such as a
minimum line width for a metal conductor.
Outer edges 612, 614 of the LCD substrate 114 include a plurality
of peripheral circuits, such as row and column decoders and other
circuits well known in the art. Although they can often be
designated as a single peripheral circuit area, for the sake of
reference peripheral circuits 612 are positioned in the left and
right vertical edges of the substrate as shown in the Figure, and
peripheral circuits 614 are positioned in the upper and lower
horizontal edges of the substrate as shown. The peripheral circuits
612, 614 have a width of 20 microns. The design requirement for the
peripheral circuits 612, 614 is a 5 micron resolution. Furthermore,
the overall electrical design of the peripheral circuits 612, 614
is relatively complex and does not repeat as often as some of the
other components discussed above and below.
Running between the pixel sections 610 are a plurality of
horizontal circuit elements 616 and vertical circuit elements 618.
For the sake of simplicity, the circuit elements 616, 618 can
simply be regarded as conductors, although other circuits can also
be accommodated. The conductors 616, 618 run in a space between the
pixel sections 610, which in the present example is about 5 microns
wide. The design requirement for the conductors 616, 618 is a 5
micron resolution.
On what appears to be the upper right hand corner of each pixel
section 610 is a very small circuit 620. In the present embodiment,
the circuits 620 are thin film transistors and require about a 5
micron.times.5 micron portion of the corresponding pixel section
610. The design requirement for the thin film transistors 620 is a
1 micron resolution. The thin film transistors 620 are relatively
simple circuits, as compared to the peripheral circuits 612,
614.
Referring now to FIG. 7, a simplified version of the
photolithography system 100 (FIG. 1) is shown. A box 700 represents
the portion of the system that project the image to be exposed,
hereinafter referred to as the "head." For example, the head 700
may include the pixel panel 108 and the lens system 112 (both of
FIG. 1). It is understood that a wide variety of image systems can
be used, and the head may incorporate different components.
The photolithography system 100 scans produces a "scan line" 702
that eventually scans the entire image to be exposed (in the
present example, the LCD design discussed with reference to FIG.
6). The scan line 702 may not be an actual line, but a portion of
the entire image to be scanned. Although photolithography systems
are often categorized as either scanning or stepping systems, it is
understood that both such technologies and/or combinations of such
technologies can benefit from the present invention, and that a
scanning system is being illustrated merely for the sake of
example.
Both the head 700 and the stage 116 can move independently of each
other. Referring also to FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the
head 700 is moved by the motor 126, the stage 116 and the substrate
114 are moved by the motor 122, and the motors 126, 122 are
controlled by software running in the computer 106. The movement of
the head 700 and the substrate 114 are represented by vectors (v1,
d1), (v2, d1), and (v2, d2). The "v" designates a speed component
and the "d" designates a direction component. For the sake of
further example, the motor 126 that moves the head 700 is a
vibrator that can move the head back and forth, and the motor 122
is a linear movement type motor. In the present embodiment, the
direction components of d1, d2 are diametrically opposed to each
other and the speed component of v1 is greater than the speed
component of v2.
Also in the present embodiment, the stage 116 is relatively heavy,
when compared to the head 700. For this reason, the stage 116 will
move at the constant direction/speed (v1, d1). In contrast, the
head 700 can move in the direction d2 or in the opposite direction
d1. In addition, the head 700 can be stopped altogether, so that
v2=0. It is understood, however, that in other embodiments,
different motors and different variation of speed may apply.
The relative scanning speed and direction between the head 700 and
the stage 116 can be a function of one or more of v1, v2, d1, and
d2. In the present embodiment, the relative scanning speed and
direction describe the movement of the scanning line 702. For the
sake of further example, the scanning line 702 only moves in the
direction d1. However, the speed at which the scanning line 702
moves can change for various requirements. These requirements may
include the design resolution being exposed, the complexity of the
image being exposed (and hence the amount of time required to
provide all of the changing data to the pixel panel 108 (FIG. 1) or
the time required for individual pixels of the pixel element to
change), different lens characteristics of the lens system 112
(also of FIG. 1), and so forth. Further to the present example, a
fast speed Vf is determined by the equation: Vf=v1+v2.
A medium speed Vm is determined by the equation: Vm=v1.
A slow speed Vs is determined by the equation: Vs=v1+-v2.
A negative v2 (-v2) is produced by moving the head 700 at the speed
v2 in the direction d2, opposite of the direction d1.
Referring now to FIGS. 8a and 8b, in the present example, the
photolithography system 100 will expose the substrate 114 in two
passes. The first pass is illustrated in FIG. 8a and the second
pass is illustrated in FIG. 8b. Also in the present example, the
two passes occur at a 90.degree. angle to each other. For each
pass, some or all of the substrate may be exposed. However, by
combining the two passes, all of the substrate is eventually
exposed. It is understood that the number of passes required is
dependent upon various factors, such as the desired electronic
design to be exposed on the substrate 114. In the present example,
the electronic design is for a LCD (as shown in FIG. 6).
Referring specifically to FIG. 8a, in the first pass, the scan line
702 moves in a direction 802, as shown. The direction 802
corresponds with the direction d1 shown in FIG. 7. However, the
scanning speed changes for different portions of the substrate, as
illustrated. When exposing the peripheral circuits 614, which have
a design resolution of 5 microns, but have a very dense circuit
pattern, the scanning speed is slow (Vs). Likewise, when exposing
the thin film transistors 620, which have a design resolution of 1
micron, the scanning speed is slow (Vs). When exposing the pixel
sections 610, which have a design resolution of 10 microns, the
scanning speed is fast (Vf). When exposing the conductors 616,
which have a design resolution of 5 microns, the scanning speed is
medium (Vm). It is noted that in the present example, the
conductors 618 and the peripheral circuits 612 are not exposed,
except where the peripheral circuits 612, 614 intersect and where
the conductors 618, 620 intersect.
Referring now to FIG. 8b, in the second pass, the scan line 702
moves in a direction 804, as shown. The substrate 114 has now been
rotated 90.degree. (relative to the head 700) so that the direction
804 now corresponds with the direction d1 shown in FIG. 7, but is
perpendicular to the direction 802 illustrated in FIG. 8a. However,
the scanning speed changes for different portions of the substrate,
as illustrated. When exposing the peripheral circuits 612, which
have a design resolution of 5 microns, but have a very dense
circuit pattern, the scanning speed is slow (Vs). The pixel
sections 610 are not exposed, so the system "jumps" over these
sections relatively fast (Vf). When exposing the conductors 618,
which have a design resolution of 5 microns, the scanning speed is
medium (Vm). It is noted that in the present example, the thin film
transistors 620, pixel sections 610, conductors 616 and the
peripheral circuits 614 are not exposed (or are exposed very
quickly). In some embodiments, it may be desirable to re-exposed
the circuit portions where the peripheral circuits 612, 614
intersect and where the conductors 618, 620 intersect.
In some embodiments, some areas may be exposed in both passes (as
shown in FIG. 8a and in FIG. 8b). For example, the pixel sections
610 may be exposed in both passes so that the image is
double-exposed during the fast scanning (Vf).
Although not shown, it may be desirable to produce additional
passes to complete the exposure. The additional passes may expose
circuit portions that were not previously exposed, or may be used
to further expose some circuit portions due to various requirements
(e.g., for circuits with very high design resolution requirements).
Even with the multiple passes, a significant time savings can be
achieved if a portion of the overall circuit does not require the
slow scanning movement.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention. For example, a mask-type
photolithography system can be used. Such a system works especially
well when there is significant repetition in the design circuit.
Therefore, the claims should be interpreted in a broad manner,
consistent with the present invention.
* * * * *
References